Draper is in the south-east corner of Salt Lake Valley, near Bluffdale, Sandy, South Jordan and others. Draper is located just north of “Point of the Mountain,” officially “Traverse Mountain,” a popular hang-gliding spot.

Draper was originally called Sivogah, meaning Willows. The town was then known as Willow Creek for the creek the settlers used. They also used the region as a grazing area for their cattle. The town name was then changed to Brownsville for Ebenezer Brown and family who arrived in 1849. Later, the name was again changed to honor William Draper, the town’s first Mormon bishop. The Draper family settled in the area in 1850.